We are all fortunate indeed that we have this very primitive stem brain that is
extremely perceptive of and extremely knowledgeable of the mostly predictable
physical world. It is not distracted by all those "higher" issues, faith,
belief, Yahweh, etc., we all endlessly try to wrestle to ground. It simply
does its job, which is to protest us from the consequence of our of our own
actions with that physical world; and to quickly intervene when we are not
paying attention and are soon to either die or be seriously harmed.
I allow my razor sharp chef's knife to fall over the edge of my counter-top
toward my bare feet directly below the plunging knife. Ms. Stem jerks the
proper foot, the one that would have been pierced, out of the way, using the
other foot, the one that would not have been pierced, to create a stable
structure against which the perfect jerk can operate. All this happens before
I am even aware the knife has fallen. Ms. Stem employs some might poweful
computations to figure all his out, and this case can take immediate action,
the proper reflex (the leg jerk) whether I liked it or not.
I think in your case, Ms. Stem had it all figured out well before things turned
critical, but she does not know how to steer your motorcycle. When she evolved
to her current talent, there were no motorcycles, but there were plunging
objects, and yes cliffs. Along the way, fortunately for us, and by "us" I mean
our Cerebellae, she can send us messages, like "move left" (you idiot, you are
about to go over a cliff). To your credit, your particular Cerebellum got the
message an took appropriate actions. That goodness for that. And a special
note of appreciation to Ms. Stem. Nothing for God, Yaweh, premonition, ESP,
Guardian Angel or other figments of our Cerebellae.
--Dean Gerber
________________________________
From: Douglas Roberts <[email protected]>
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2012 2:42 PM
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] faith
I'm not prone to experiencing "premonitions". Additional factoid: I ride
paranoid because they *are* out to get me.
Yet, the day before yesterday as I was heading south down to Santa Fe on the
GSA1200, my premonition organ wiggled, and a voice inside my head said, "I
sense danger." Like somebody who rides paranoid needs to hear that, right?
So I went from DEFCON 2 to DEFCON 4. Twenty seconds later at the very next
traffic light in Pojoaque a northbound duelly pickup truck turned suddenly,
unexpectedly left into the intersection across my path, smack ass dab right in
front of me. Had the little voice in my head not spoken, I would have been
grill hamburger. As it was, I had engaged that extra little bit of defense
which gave the margin I needed to miss him.
We won't even go into the bit about the fat guy on the Harley who was going to
follow the truck through the intersection, and who nearly fell off his bike in
the process of aborting.
Apropo of nothing, of course, except that I retain my faith that they are out
to get me when I'm on the motorcycle.
--Doug
On Mon, Sep 24, 2012 at 2:01 PM, Steve Smith <[email protected]> wrote:
Dave -
>
>
>Not true - because I have a countervailing belief - I am smarter and more
>aware than they and can thwart their evil intentions.
>
Inarguable reasoning Dave... I commend you. Unfortunately I slipped behind the
curve on my self-image regarding smart+aware a while back. It may be early
onset wisdom or late-stage cynicism...
>
>It *was* my youthful idealism that had me quite willing to hurtle
down the highways with nothing between me and the road except a few
feet (or inches) of air and maybe a 1/8 or less of leather. I was
supremely confident in my own smartness and awareness as the perfect
antidote to all challengers.
>
><Anecdote> For example, one evening just after dusk 30+ years
ago, I was hurtling down Interstate 17 in the right lane (like a
good doobie since I was roughly traveling at the speed limit and was
not passing anyone) when something made me think I needed to get
into the left lane... I checked mirrors, hit my turns, looked over
my shoulder, and drifted left only to realize that the right lane
was no longer there (well, most of it anyway). I stopped quickly
and backtracked to find that in fact over half of the right lane had
sloughed off into the canyon in a mudslide. I went back "upstream"
a hundred yards facing traffic with headlight and flashers in the
right lane and pulled over the first two cars who I left to pass the
word along and went on my way (I still had 7 hours riding ahead of
me that night).
>
>Those with "Faith" might say that "God spoke to me". I simply
believe that my cultivated awareness hinted to me that something was
amiss up ahead (missing guardrail in my headlights? Dark abyss
below my threshold of consciousness? Had I heard or felt something
over engine/road vibrations?)... Today I'm pretty sure I would just
hurtle off the end of the pavement with a goofy puzzled expression
of WTF?
>
></Anecdote>
>
>
>
>
>>And if the world is not interested in harming me, why did it give me a death
>>sentence?
>
I'm pretty sure that despite the world's total disinterest in me (and by
extension you), that death sentence is a blessing compared to some of the
alternatives (read your Utopian/Dystopian literature for references). Of
course, I just might be spending too much time juggling failing parents up and
down the halls of nursing homes.
>
>- Steve
>
>
>
>============================================================
>FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
>Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
>lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
>
--
Doug Roberts
[email protected]
[email protected]
http://parrot-farm.net/Second-Cousins
505-455-7333 - Office
505-670-8195 - Cell
============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
